Antiseptic preparation of patients for surgery conventionally includes a 3-10 minute scrubbing of the affected area with an antimicrobial soap solution followed by the application of a water-soluble antiseptic paint solution. The solutions are conventionally applied with saturated gauze or sponges that are attached to a handle or held with forceps. The sponges are saturated by soaking in open pans of solution.
This procedure has the drawback that the solution can drip and pool unseen in locations hidden by the patient's body. Pooling of the antimicrobial solution can result in skin irritation and even chemical bums if strong iodine solutions are employed. Furthermore, it is desirable to prevent pooling of flammable antiseptics, such as those based on alcohol/water solutions.
One way of dealing with this drawback is to provide the solution in a sealed ampoule within an applicator. For example, co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,084 "Liquid applicator with frangible ampoule and support" describes such an applicator. While providing clean and efficient dispensing, such an applicator is somewhat expensive to provide.
A less expensive expedient is to provide an applicator having a sponge and a handle within a sealed pouch that also contains a free quantity of prepping solution. For example, the E-Z Preps product commercially available from Becton Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, N.J., provides two eight-inch sponge sticks immersed in Povidone-iodine topical solution. The sponges are supplied presaturated with excess solution that distributes freely within the pouch, completely coating the handle. Therefore, these applicators are messy to use in practice.